Saw blades are used by a surgeon to cut bones and/or tissue in the body as well as to remove items external the body such as casts. Rotatively oscillating surgical saw blades, such as mandibula, crescentic, sagittal or other surgical saw blades, preferably are rotatively and positively connected with a drive shaft because of the oscillating movement of the blades.
Existing coupling device such as the coupling device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,702,415 to Matthai et al. have locking means for detachably connecting a surgical saw blade and a driving device. The locking means comprise guiding pins, which are disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis of the drive shaft and can be introduced into openings in the saw blade so that the saw blade can be shifted transversely to the longitudinal axis and parallel to the contacting surface at the drive shaft. When the saw blade is centered, two pins, which are also disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis, engage the openings so that the saw blade is connected rotatively and positively with the drive shaft. Furthermore, a screw is disposed coaxially with and terminally at the drive shaft. As the screw is tightened, the head of the screw is pressed axially against the saw blade. In this way, the saw blade is fixed in the axial direction. Only saw blades, which have clamping segments of a particular type, can be accommodated in the coupling device.
It is desirable to have a coupling device which allows different saw blades with different clamping segments to be connected with the same drive shaft.